Thing I learned from this video: Iran probably has better rail service overall than the US. Seriously, Why I gotta fly or take The Dawg to visit my kin who so stupidly moved to Dallas? The main Texas triangle is somewhat densely populated and has plenty of traffic to support high speed rail.
But back to Iran. I know a few Iranians and I believe that gradual change to a more free society is probable. Hope it happens soon. It's a cool country with a badass history that predates Islam. The Shah tried to reconnect Iran to that past, but he was also a repressive asshole. I think a new nationalistic Iran might still be possible. And the ancient Ayars were somewhat respectful of women's rights. So much so that an Ionian woman, Atremisia, decided to fight against the Greeks and eventually became what we would call an admiral.
I am sometimes a fan of empire over nationalism. The two Persian dynasties and Austria-Hungary are my favorites. I do not like the current American empire. It enriches only our financial elites and does little to benefit our subject peoples.
Bacopa: Iran is much more modern than most Americans realize -- unlike many Islamic countries it teaches evolution in its school system, for example, which puts it ahead of some places in Louisiana. Even the ghastly theocracy that rules it today has not been able to drag it completely back into the Dark Ages. That theocracy won't last forever.
I know of Artemisia of Halicarnassus, who commanded a fleet for Xerxes I at the battle of Salamis. Iranian history is indeed very deep and fascinating; I've posted about it once before and plan to do so again.
Individualist, pro-technology, pro-democracy, anti-religion. I speak only for myself and not for any ideology, movement, or party. It has been my great good fortune to live my whole life free of "spirituality" of any kind. I believe that evidence and reason are the keys to understanding reality; that technology rather than ideology or politics has been the great liberator of humanity; and that in the long run, human intelligence is the most powerful force in the universe.
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Thing I learned from this video: Iran probably has better rail service overall than the US. Seriously, Why I gotta fly or take The Dawg to visit my kin who so stupidly moved to Dallas? The main Texas triangle is somewhat densely populated and has plenty of traffic to support high speed rail.
But back to Iran. I know a few Iranians and I believe that gradual change to a more free society is probable. Hope it happens soon. It's a cool country with a badass history that predates Islam. The Shah tried to reconnect Iran to that past, but he was also a repressive asshole. I think a new nationalistic Iran might still be possible. And the ancient Ayars were somewhat respectful of women's rights. So much so that an Ionian woman, Atremisia, decided to fight against the Greeks and eventually became what we would call an admiral.
I am sometimes a fan of empire over nationalism. The two Persian dynasties and Austria-Hungary are my favorites. I do not like the current American empire. It enriches only our financial elites and does little to benefit our subject peoples.
Bacopa: Iran is much more modern than most Americans realize -- unlike many Islamic countries it teaches evolution in its school system, for example, which puts it ahead of some places in Louisiana. Even the ghastly theocracy that rules it today has not been able to drag it completely back into the Dark Ages. That theocracy won't last forever.
I know of Artemisia of Halicarnassus, who commanded a fleet for Xerxes I at the battle of Salamis. Iranian history is indeed very deep and fascinating; I've posted about it once before and plan to do so again.
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